Mike G in SC

Thanks Steve and thanks for your email on my GW questions. Took Carol on first ride beyond the 10 minute test. Went for lunch about 50 miles away. We both think the RSV is more comfortable (cause a trike rides like a trike). We still have OUR break in period. Mike G in SC

Okay, I'm in. We picked up a 2008 GL1800 with Champion trike kit. I'm now 65, semi-retired and time for us to go 3 wheels. I saw the difference of a GW and RSV trike in Colorado mountains this summer. So,,, GW. I got a lot to learn, Day 2. So far, I know how to ride it from seller's to buyer's house, 120 miles.

Awesome, someone in FL retiring and moving NORTH,,, to SOUTH Carolina. You are picking a great area. It is the starting point for most rides that get you to the mountains. Here in Columbia area, takes us two hours to get to that point. I met a couple with the Greenville STAR group who told me they moved there because of a conversation I had with them at a STAR thing in Branson a few years ago. They were thinking Charleston, low country. I explained sand fleas and humidity from when I grew up in Beaufort SC. They moved to Greenville and love it.

We had a Southeast "STAR" BQ in Kingsport, 5/14. In 3 days they had 3 rides available each day. For the "technical ride" I think they combined US 58 and then south on the Back of the Dragon and returned on 81 as about a 150 mile ride. Yeah, that is an awesome ride for sure. As four of us rode the Tail of the Dragon Monday (this week) our talk went back to THAT RIDE on Back of the Dragon. ,,,, yep.

I remember VR member Miles, a couple of years ago, posting quite an adventure he and a friend had from Oregon to lower South America and back. He bought a Tenere just for the trip (and sold it when done). Seems like it can take you,,, anywhere,,, good, bad or ugly (like his story).

I think the Deaf-Mute branch of the GW riders were meeting in Bryson City then,,, maybe? (sorry sick humor). Going through there Monday after doing the Skyway and dragon. Going to eat at the FILLING STATION downtown Bryson City, best sandwich place ever. I'm getting a GW trike in the next week, guess I got to learn to zip it.

This is what my wife saw in Charleston, on the Dragon and in Kalamazoo. And this is why she used to read paper backs, now reads her Kindle.

Okay, So this pump exactly fits where the old one was, requires no modifications or additional parts. Has same electrical connection. The vendor claims it has a check valve to prevent flow when no power. And has a heat vent for the contact side. Has the word IN printed on one bib (for me to still get wrong) And is working in my bike and a friends. And is on Ebay or Amazon for $22 delivered. (Truly cheap enough to carry as a spare.) Other than that, I will let you know if I have a problem with it. And thanks to my friend Reggie who found it.

Well,,,, there's always the Expo in FL,,,, next weekend,,,,, next year,,,, next brand. May have to make more room in the Goldwing forum next year. http://www.aimexpousa.com/ Some think they are waiting for that. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz,, So, if they don't do it Oct 15,, hang up the phone.

Condor, The hose fittings are exactly like the OEM. No problem putting the hoses on the new one and moving the clamps in position. In fact they fit so good, you can switch them if you want. Rode briefly today again, just fine. But for $22, I will pack the spare in my tool saddle bag,, with my air pump, jumpers and tire repair kit and flux capacitor. The plastic nipple on the cap can also be used as a whistle if the pump breaks down and leaves you stranded.

All fine east of Columbia (Lugoff SC). Like Doug, we just got about 15" of rain. A soaking but no damage, we sit high too. I went to my son's house in Forest Acres. He has no damage but many neighbors do. They have a normally desirable series of about 10 lakes with a few breaches of dams. I could smell the taint of flooded land as I rode through his neighborhood, seeing folks tossing out their ruined household goods. SC did secure federal emergency aid for many counties. This will assist where insurance of lack of it does not. You can't restore a life. Some were lost because they were overwhelmed by the water, but some have ignored barricades or common sense to do so. Be safe and get through this.

I have also sent a request to the vendor on same. Can it be tested by pulling the gas line off the carbs and seeing if drains? Opinion: Is this a cheap Chinese knockoff? At under $30, YES it is. But will see if it serves me. EDIT: I got a quick turnaround on my question to the seller. Dear ultimatecomponents, The Yamaha OEM (Mitsubishi) fuel pump has a check valve to prevent continued flow when the engine is shut off. Does this pump also have a check valve? (I have installed one today and bought a spare) - mikeg-in-sc Answer: Dear mikeg-in-sc, Thank you for your question. Yes our pump has a check valve. - ultimatecomponents I also contacted them again to tell them they need to advertise the check valve on their spec page. They replied with thanks and said they will consider adding same. I would be happy to see that as a commitment of verification. I assume what they say is true but would prefer they state this in print.

Thanks, but I'll wait till I see a problem. So far, the other guy who got one has had no issue. (And will report if I do.) This is not the MR Gasket.

That is a really low price for a 2007. I am probably going to get a trike in spring (maybe before). But I think I want to go with a Goldwing 1800. When we were at STAR Days in Colorado, a GW was leading up a mountain and a RSV trike was tail. The GW walked away, the RSV dropped way back, 1800 POWER. Anyone got a line on a good Goldwing trike. Prefer 2010-2012.

My RSV fuel pump appeared to be failing on my 2009 RSV. This was already a pump that was replaced under warranty a few years ago. I ordered the replacement points set that are noted on this forum. I paid about $30 from Amazon, also available on Ebay. ( http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.TRS0&_nkw=K%26L+Supply+Universal+Fuel+Pump+Point+Switch+Kit&_sacat=0 ) ==sorry, that link may now be bad== I put them in, but it got worse, would not pump, no rat-tat-tat. I took the old set and filed off a burr, but same thing. So, that said some other component in the pump was bad. My friend, Reggie Brewer (also on this form and a fellow STAR rider) had his pump fail and found one on Ebay that looks like the real deal (not Mr Gasket). AND,, it is about $28 delivered! http://www.ebay.com/itm/331369030356?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D331369030356%26_rdc%3D1 And,,,, I see the price is now $21.99 DELIVERED. I will order another for spare. Here is same pump and vendor on Amazon (who I prefer) http://www.amazon.com/Fuel-YAMAHA-XVZ13-XVZ1300-ROYAL/dp/B00SHUYZBU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_263_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0GE2633P1CMQS74E4SJR&dpID=41-wlYyv2HL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR154%2C160_ He said it installed no problems and he has run it a few miles just fine. I asked if he has to shut off the petcock to prevent gas leak. He said NO, not so far (two weeks). So, I ordered one from same Ebay source. Got it in about 4 days (USPS). I put it in this afternoon. Took some pictures. I got to admit, YOU MUST PUT HOSES ON THE RIGHT NIPPLES. Else it will just rat-tat-tat-tat-tat=+++++++++++ tat. So, once hooked up correctly, it took a few tries to fill the carbs, then Varoom. I added pictures. Note the nipple on the black cap. This is not on the stock pump. As I first had the pump on wrong, this should end up pointing towards the ground, and would drain moisture,,, I guess. Or you could cap it. The way to get the right hose on the IN port is to get the one that comes UP from the fuel filter (left hose), not the one that goes up. That one goes to the carbs not the tank. Duhhh. I ran a dozen miles. Will ride it this week/weekend and see how it goes before a trip. But, it runs fine and I see no gas leak while leaving the petcock on. I will report back if I have any issues. But, this is a VERY similar pump for 1/10 th of the cost of the OEM pump. Below is the link for the pump. Also will edit and put the link for the points. (but it is easier to swap the pump than the points!) Thanks my friend Reggie for coming across this. (EDITED 10/16/15 = found contacts link went bad, added Amazon link for pump (which I used to buy my spare) MG.

Got the replacement points in. After watching the video it is pretty simple to replace while the pump is still in the bike. But,,, they did not work. No rat-tat-tat from the new points. I cleaned burrs of the old one put them back in. Same, no rat-tat-tat from old points. And I did run the engine till it pooped out of gas. So, I got to guess another part of the pump is bad. SO, for about the same cost of points I just ordered the pump that I noted above from Ebay. It's due by next Monday (one week max). Will post here again with results. Hope for better. BUT,,,,,, that's why I have TWO Royal Stars! I can keep on riding and smiling!

But, also a friend Reggie B, also on this forum just got a same looking pump for under $30 delivered, on Ebay. He has installed it on his 2011 RRSV and said he does NOT have to turn off the petcock when it is parked. Here is the link he bought from in the last two weeks. http://www.ebay.com/itm/331369030356?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D331369030356%26_rdc%3D1

Yeah, about a year ago, someone first posted about the replacement points. (Big Thanks) I just got the problem again so ordered a set off Amazon for about $27 with free ship. Saw various prices on Ebay. Just google for the part number given above. K&L Pump Supply 18-4615. And watch the video Cougar posted, shows how to do it. Also, learn how to gravity feed if you are out on the road and it dies. You can reroute the gas line for a temp fix. Look for a post from last week on fuel pump.

And then,,,,,,, Turn on Petcock! LOL, thanks Mike G

As noted, you may want to read up on how to GRAVITY FEED (bypass the pump) if you are out on the road. I have posted this a couple of times. I will see if I can do a search and post the link. Found it, or one of them. Here is cut/paste: My 2010 post on Gravity Feed: Mine died last year, under warranty. Shop replaced it. (it's a few hundred if your pocket) But it died 100% when it died. When you turned the key,,, no clicks. I did do the gravity feed,,,, to prove to me & the shop it was the pump. But also to ride it for a week. The gravity feed will make it run just fine,, except maybe the bottom of the tank or MAJOR throttling. To do gravity feed,,, let me remember,,,, undo the tank bolt under the seat. Lift the tank up a couple of inches (don't need to undo the front, it will pivot.) use a needle nose to pull the gas line that runs from the tank off the fuel filter. Then pull the hose off the carburetor feed line and put the line from the tank to that feed. Now you are running straight from pitcock to the carb. I suggest you also open up the left side panel and disconnect the fuel pump electrical connection so it won't puke out remaining gas. If you think you want to run this a while (more than emergency) you could also include a $3 inline filter from Wal-mart just below the tank. Buy a few inches of fuel line to run between the pitcock and the filter, rather than cut your good line. I ran it this way a few hundred miles till I got a new pump. But, in your case, this may prove if it is the pump or something else. Stick close to home till you know. Mike G.

Still sounds like the fuel pump, but at $300 for the part, they won't do that easily. My dealer in SC has replaced 3 for me under warranty (two on RSTD one on my RSV). Twice they did it at my request even though it did not fail for them. And each time, that was the problem. The one on my RSV is failing now, I think. It is out of warranty so I ordered points, will install this week. A friend told me yesterday he found a ebay pump for under $40 that matches the RSV pump and does not have to turn off the petcock. Another problem I had on my RSTD was the ignition. It was not failing on the run but periodically when I started it. They replaced the ignition, solved it but now needs two keys. Sounds like when it fails and you try to restart, it is turning, just not firing. Right?

Doug, I just saw this thread tonight. Not as frequent on the forum as I was. I live in Lugoff,,, right down Hwy 34 from you. I am semi-retired. You have already changed oil and if that has got it, good. Else, we can hook up and let me ride yours,,, you ride mine type thing. I have a 2009 RSV and a 2006 RSTD. Both lowered and lot's of miles on them. No whine on the RSTD,,, but has loud cans. The first owner DID change the basket under warranty. Some whine on the RSV but usually just in the mountains going up. It does have a stock basket. Anyhow, if you want to compare notes send me a PM and can exchange phone and email. Can meet you at the Sonic in Winnsboro, buy me a shake. Mike G in SC

Thanks, I saw a full set of 2009 Road Star Warrior calipers, master cylinder and brake lines on-line. Will they work on a 2009 RSV? Improvement over RSV stock?

Can someone point me to an existing tech thread on upgrading the RSV front calipers to the R1 or similar? Is it simple bolt on swap? Do our existing pads fit those calipers? Does a member/vendor sell them? Where would you buy and expected price each? I chased a little on Google and looked like not all years of the R1 fit. Is there another model that also fits and is an upgrade from RSV? Wouldn't mind a little better stopping in the front. Thanks, Mike G in SC

Don't overlook simply using WD40 on the brake lever pivot points (same for clutch). With my Road Star I was headed to the shop to have my brakes looked at. At a stoplight I gave it some thought and stopped at a parts place, got WD40 and, well the shop trip was not needed. I get the same on my Royals, sometimes after a rain or washing, levers get sticky. WD40 and a rag does the trick.